Living in Southern Minnesota, finding good sushi isn’t easy. Luckily, finding the ingredients to make good sushi isn’t that hard. Lately, I’ve recently been teaching myself to roll my own. My first attempt was not bad, but not great. Thanks to my friends at Mommysavers and their advice on how to make sushi rolls at home I quickly determined that my main mistake was layering on too much rice. My second go-round (pictured here) was much more successful. This time, I only added ONE cup of the sushi rice (instead of one and a half) to the Nori paper, which made all the difference. You can make sushi at home too, with minimal practice. All you need is a sushi kit (which are pretty cheap on Amazon), good sushi rice, and a little patience.

Sushi rice is easy, but it requires short-grain sushi rice (found in ethnic grocery aisles) in order for it to work.

Ingredients

1½ C. sushi rice (don’t use long grain rice)

1½ C. water

1½ Tbsp. rice vinegar

1½ Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

Instructions

Rinse the rice thoroughy first, until the water runs clear. Heat a saucepan with 1½ C. water and rice over medium-high heat. Once it begins to boil, reduce heat and cover. Cook 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and let stand for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a separate bowl combine the rice vinegar, sugar and salt. Pour over sushi rice and toss so that all the grains are coated. Refrigerate rice at least two hours before making sushi.

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How to Make Sushi Rolls

After the sushi rice has cooled and is ready to go, tear off a piece of plastic wrap and place it on your sushi mat as shown below. Next, place the sheet of Nori on the plastic wrap. Spread one cup sushi rice on top of the Nori, using your sushi paddle or your wet fingers to press it down evenly. You’ll want an even, thin layer of rice. If it’s too thick, it will be hard to roll tightly without the ingredients squirting out all over the place.

At this point, you can either flip the nori over so that the rice side is down (and on the outside of the roll) or leave it the way it is. I flipped it over so the rice would be on the outside of my California rolls. If desired, shake a little sesame seed or poppy seed on the rice.

For Califormia rolls, place your avocado, cucumber, and imitation crab inside. For a Philadelphia roll, substitute the crab for smoked salmon and include a strip of cream cheese. Experimenting with ingredients is the fun part! Let your own taste be your guide; there are no right or wrong ingredients. Starting on one end, use your mat to roll your sushi, pressing down as you go to create a compact roll. With a sharp knife (it helps to wet it slightly) cut in six pieces. Enjoy!

Frugal Tips: Supplies to make sushi rolls can often be found at ethnic grocery stores for much less than at specialty stores. Also, check Amazon for the best prices on your sushi mat and paddle and other tools.